Con Edison Presents: The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Run for the Wild 2014

6th annual 5k and family fun run/walk at WCS’s Bronx Zoo

More than 5,000 runners and walkers will help WCS save elephants

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Media check-in: 7:00 a.m.

Bronx, N.Y. – April 23, 2014 – The sixth annual WCS Run for the Wild 5k run and family fun run/walk takes place this Saturday, April 26 at WCS’s Bronx Zoo.

This year’s run/walk is dedicated to saving elephants by raising funds to support the recently launched 96 Elephants Campaign. 96 Elephants is working to: secure moratoria on the sale of ivory; bolster protection of African elephants; and educate the public about the link between ivory consumption and the elephant poaching crisis.

The 5k race for individual runners will begin at 8:00 a.m.; casual runners and walkers can take part in the Family Fun Run/Walk at 8:45 a.m.

Media note(s): Members of the media who wish to cover the event are asked to contact Max Pulsinelli at 718-220-5182; 571-218-7601 (cell) or email mpulsinelli@wcs.org so that reserved parking and in-park transportation can be arranged.

Members of the media should check-in at the media/VIP tent in the zoo’s Bronx River parking lot prior to the race.

To learn more about the elephant crisis and how to help eradicate the demand for ivory, visit 96elephants.org.

CONTACT:Max Pulsinelli – 718-220-5182; cell 571-218-7601; mpulsinelli@wcs.orgSteve Fairchild – 718-220-5189; sfairchild@wcs.orgThe Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays, 5:30 p.m. weekends from April to October; 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m November to March. Adult admission is $16.95, children (3-12 years old) $11.95, children under 3 are free, seniors (65+) are $14.95. Parking is $14 for cars and $16 for buses. The Bronx Zoo is conveniently located off the Bronx River Parkway at Exit 6; by train via the #2 or #5 or by bus via the #9, #12, #19, #22, MetroNorth, or BxM11 Express Bus service (from Manhattan that stops just outside the gate.) To plan your trip, visit bronxzoo.com or call 718-367-1010.

96 ElephantsWCS is leading global efforts to save Africa’s elephants and end the current poaching and ivory trafficking crisis. In September, WCS launched its 96 Elephants campaign (96elephants.org) to amplify and support the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) “Partnership to Save Africa’s Elephants” by stopping the killing, stopping the trafficking, and stopping the demand. The WCS campaign focuses on: securing effective moratoria on domestic sales of ivory; bolstering elephant protection; and educating the public about the link between ivory consumption and the elephant poaching crisis.

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)MISSION: WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. VISION: WCS envisions a world where wildlife thrives in healthy lands and seas, valued by societies that embrace and benefit from the diversity and integrity of life on earth. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in more than 60 nations and in all the world’s oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: www.wcs.org; facebook.com/TheWCS; youtube.com/user/WCSMedia; follow: @theWCS.